I am the worst version of myself when nothing goes as planned. Usually, things do not go as planned. The frequency of these disruptions stems from the inconvenient reality that plans are dependent on specific circumstances beyond my control. This lack of control causes me a substantial amount of anxiety. This anxiety results in creating a […]
A Love Note for the Future
As the pastor of The Land, my responsibility lies in the perpetual, and the often inconvenient, reminder that we are a community of faith. A reminder that as a community we inherit a commitment to reimagining lifestyles outside the architect of the pressured consumerism that often saturates our daily schedules. When the world demands visible progress at any […]
The Discomfort of Kindness
We were paddleboarding at Cherry Creek State Park on a Sunday. Fiona and I arrived before the parking lot was full. Before the reservoir was busy with motors and speckled with inflated boards. We laid claim to a small slice of the shore with a blanket, pumped up our paddleboard, and glided out onto this murky, settled substitute for the […]
Precious Moments
Of all the events we have at The Land, I think our eco-friendly Trunk or Treat is the most spectacular. To me, there is no better expression of the importance of The Land’s mission than Trunk-or-Treat. We are a community committed to reshaping traditions in ways that honor all of God’s creation. Reusing, reducing, recycling, and composting are […]
Nothing to Lose
It dawned on me the other day while I was walking. Faith isn’t believing things will turn out the way I want them to turn out. Faith is knowing I don’t know how things are going to turn out and doing them anyway. Put more plainly, faith isn’t trusting that God will reward my good […]
A look toward 2021…
November is a time of celebrating the memorable moments of this year while casting new visions for where we hope to go in the year to come. Non-profit Executive Directors complete this task through video, email, newsletter, and end-of-the-year giving campaigns. Pastors do this in a sermon. Based on scripture. In under twenty minutes. For […]
Systems of Sanctuary
I am not a vegan but I wish I was. There are many injustices in our food systems that could be corrected by eliminating animal products from the human diet but for me, veganism is a response to an unjust system reliant on the suffering of animals. Years ago, Fiona and I sat through a […]
It’s been awhile…
July 3rd to be exact. Since I last typed up and sent out a message. I could say I have been busy. Because I have. I could say I have been overwhelmed. Because it would be true. I could say what Jessica said in her introduction to the wander this morning…that sometimes we are too worn […]
Who have we become?
Inspired by Micah 2: 1-5I’m not sure if it should make me feel better or worse that the issues dooming the community in Micah are the same issues plaguing our contemporary society. Both in the ancient Israelite community and in contemporary American society, land represents the promise of survival and sustainability. Both in the ancient Israelite […]
After The Pause In Conservation
For the past year and a half, I have regularly used the word “conservation” when referring to our community’s relationship with these ten acres of shortgrass prairie. While conservation has not required that The Land remains unchanged, it has created space to understand the pricelessness of The Land we would be conserving. As a practice, […]